Plus de détails

CARTER: (INTO PHONE) What do you think I said? Oh. I told Sydney she’s more than welcome to freeze her own head when she dies, but mine is being cremated and scattered at the nearest Hooters. Yeah, I know. She’s crazy! Even if it works, who wants to live forever! Live fast, die young, you know? (SFX: CAR TIRES SCREECH) (SFX: CAR HORN HONKS) CARTER: Hey! What are you doing? The sign said walk! MILLS: No way! My light was green! (F/X: TRAFFIC SIGNAL FLASHES) CARTER: You ever see a street light malfunction like that before? MILLS: That’s not a malfunction. (BEAT) That’s an S.O.S.

(MUSIC UP AND OUT) (THEME MUSIC UP OVER OPENING TITLE/SCENES/ CREDITS AND OUT)

MUSIC IN:

EXT. STREET INTERSECTION – DAY

“SHARIF RETURNS”

CARTER: The lights went crazy. They all started blinking. MILLS: And my light was green, so it surprised me that anybody… (FLASHBULBS) CUT TO:

INT. UNDERGROUND – DAY

MCGEE: City engineers traced the disturbance to an underground power node. Back traced the source, they found this.

CUT TO:

INT. JUNCTION ROOM – DAY

(DOOR OPENS) TONY: Hey Boss. Meet Marine Officer Major John Maguire. At least that’s what his I.D. says. It’s hard to tell with the, you know, the one eye. GIBBS: Yeah, where’s the missing one? TONY: Your guess is as good as mine. The Major worked under Marine Corps Systems Command as liaison to the civilian sector for NBC preparedness. MCGEE: Nuclear, biological, and chemical. TONY: Very good. I’m proud of you. Like a weird uncle. Hey, boss, you may not have noticed, but the… GIBBS: Door locks from the outside. TONY: Oh, so you noticed that. MCGEE: Meaning someone else locked him down here. GIBBS: Yeah, you really want to impress me, McGee, tell me why. He know where his S.O.S. was going? MCGEE: Not a chance. Shorting the power box was clever, but a shot in the dark. Lucky it worked at all. ZIVA: And someone was able to figure it out. DUCKY: That’s precisely why S.O.S. was chosen, because it was so very recognizable. Dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot. Unlike the old signal which was CQD, come quick distress. GIBBS: Just the S.O.S.? ZIVA: That’s all he sent. MCGEE: Morse code’s a dying art. ZIVA: Was for him. TONY: Well, he could have sent a longer message, but nobody would have recognized it. Present company excepted. GIBBS: Cause of death? DUCKY: Well, he didn’t suffocate. There are no signs of cyanosis to indicate oxygen deprivation. No petechial hemorrhages that would indicate strangulation. There’s no blunt or sharp force trauma. In fact, there is no sign of any trauma at all. MCGEE: Other than the missing eye. DUCKY: That would explain his death, Timothy. GIBBS: The blood came from somewhere. DUCKY: Yes, well, the blood on the hands is superficial, from several torn cuticles and pads. TONY: It looks like he literally tried to climb the walls. DUCKY: Oh, that’s odd. Ninety-nine point one. It appears our corpse is running a slight fever. MCGEE: What happened down here? ZIVA: Whatever happened, someone wanted to watch. DUCKY: (V.O.) Though the idea…

CUT TO:

INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - DAY

DUCKY: … of the artificial eye was centuries old, it didn’t really takeoff until the early twentieth century. Yes, a group of Germans toured the United States, custom fitting glass eyes to those who needed them. Yes, which would have included you, Major, had you still been alive. Sadly, the outbreak of war led to shortages, resulting in ill-fitting eyeballs, which had a tendency to pop out during rigorous interpersonal activity. TONY: Such as? DUCKY: I leave that to your imagination, Tony. But I do have a cause of death. GIBBS: I was hoping there was a reason you called me down here, Ducky. DUCKY: Yes, the Major’s death occurred as a result of acute organ failure, brought about by hyperthermia. TONY: It wasn’t that cold down there. DUCKY: No, hyperthermia, Tony. Not hypo. His body literally became too hot to handle. GIBBS: It wasn’t that warm down there. DUCKY:

DUCKY: No, indeed it wasn’t, but the hyperthermia would explain the elevated body temperature I found at the crime scene.

(CONT.) One mystery solved. Unfortunately, the Major does not appear to suffer from any of the risk factors involved in heat stroke. GIBBS: Well, he still managed to die from it. DUCKY: Yes, indeed, he did. You know, certain medications can interfere with the body’s cooling processes, but we’ll have to wait for Abby’s toxicology report to see if that is a factor. TONY: (LAUGHS) I get it. Rigorous interpersonal activities. I get it. Maybe there’s a trophy for the crypt keeper? DUCKY: The wound was self-inflicted. GIBBS: Are you saying that he-- DUCKY: He tore out his own eyeball. Now, I found traces of vitreous fluid under his fingernails. TONY: Well, where’d it go? We didn’t find an eyeball at the crime scene. DUCKY: (CHUCKLES) It was at the crime scene, all right. Hiding in his stomach. GIBBS: You didn’t find a toe in there too, did you, Duck? TONY: How’d it get in his stomach? DUCKY: Oh, I don’t know, Tony. But there are only two pathways into the stomach. Neither possibility is particularly appetizing.

CUT TO:

INT. ABBY'S LAB - DAY

ABBY:

ABBY: Gibbs! Thank God you’re here. I really need your help. You’ve got to stop me from doing something stupid. I’m thinking about getting a tattoo. (BEAT) All these tattoos. You know, I get really nervous ‘cause it’s such a final decision. (CONT.) Should I go with something a little esoteric or I don’t know, maybe a little Eastern? Huh, Ganesh. The Hindu god of wisdom, for me, the wise one. What do you think? GIBBS: I don’t think I’m the one to ask about this. ABBY: But Gibbs, you know me better than anyone else! And when you’re going to make a decision that’s going to affect the rest of your life, you need the person around you that knows you best for guidance. Please? GIBBS: Where do you want to put the tattoo? ABBY: You’re right. You’re not the one to ask. Toxicology report. I heard about Ducky’s unexplained hyperthermia. I can explain it. I found traces of three quinuclidynyl benzilate in Major Maguire’s blood. NATO calls it MZ gas. We call it Agent Buzz. It’s an incapacitating agent that causes hyperthermia, severe hallucinations and in large enough doses, death. It’s a chemical weapon, Gibbs. GIBBS: Whose? ABBY: It’s hard to tell. Chemical weapons are banned, but they’re still allowed for research purposes. Even by our own government. GIBBS: Can you tell which lab it came from? ABBY: No, but I do have a lead. The camera that you pulled from the sewer is Wi-Fi based. It works by piggy-backing on local, unprotected networks. Once it’s on the internet, it can be routed anywhere at will. And it makes it totally untraceable. GIBBS: But you traced it anyway. Let me know when you-- ABBY: I got an address. GIBBS: Yep.

ABBY: No, I mean, I got an address. The killer watched the Major die from a bowling alley. Nineteen Bella Street. Of course, whoever was there is probably long… gone…right now. Hm…

CUT TO:

INT. CAR – DAY

(SFX: CAR ENGINE OUT) TONY: I’ve got a bad feeling about this. We let the Elf Lord go in, we may never get him out. MCGEE: It’s getting old, Tony. GIBBS: Tony, you and Ziva take the back. Elf Lord, you’re with me. (DOOR OPENS)

CUT TO:

INT. BOWLING ALLEY – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS AND MCGEE WALK THROUGH THE BOWLING ALLEY) (SFX: VIDEO GAMES B.G.) MCGEE: I wonder where everyone is. GIBBS: (INTO RADIO) Talk to me, Ziva. ZIVA: (V.O./FILTERED) Rear service entrance clear. Standing by. REYNOLDS: (V.O.) Ask me again. I still don’t believe you! Look, we can do this nice and easy, or not so nice and easy. Come on, man! Start talking! MANAGER: (V.O.) Hey, man. I said I didn’t know! REYNOLDS: (V.O.) I don’t believe you!

MANN: Mamoun Sharif. CID was able to trace an old lead from when Sharif was working as a paid informant for the CIA. The trail led to an alias which led to a credit card. GIBBS: Which led to a bowling alley. MANN: Yep. Funny us running into each other like that. GIBBS: Funny? MANN: Do you have a better word? GIBBS: A few come to mind. MANN: So the real question, are our cases connected. TONY: As connected as McGee and his cute little writing pipe. Prints on the computer that was used to monitor the sewer matched the prints on file from Sharif’s CIA report. The Mad Bomber’s back. ZIVA: Except he’s not using bombs this time. MANN: So where did he get the BZ gas? TONY: One of the Major’s duties was to deliver small quantities of weapon’s grade gasses to civilian research labs. GIBBS: Ziva, you and Tony… ZIVA: Run down the list of the Major’s deliveries starting with the most recent. GIBBS: And find out… TONY: If any of them were BZ gas. On it, Boss. MANN: They always finish your sentences for you? GIBBS: I teach them to anticipate. MANN: Well, they do it well. You must be a good teacher. GIBBS: Well, thank you very much. (LAUGHS) MCGEE: Ah, Boss, if Sharif was trying to cover his tracks, why would he go to all this trouble just to kill Major Maguire? MANN: It does seem unusual that Sharif would have wasted the BZ gas the way he did. GIBBS: He wasn’t wasting it. He was testing it.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. SHEPARD’S OFFICE – DAY

SHEPARD: Testing it for what? GIBBS: It’s a chemical weapon. Take a guess. SHEPARD: I meant do you have anything specific? A date? A target? MANN: No. Nothing yet. SHEPARD: Is there any hard intel suggesting that Sharif is planning an attack? GIBBS: You mean other than the dead guy in our morgue? MANN: If you’re worried about the lack of chatter… GIBBS: Don’t. MANN: … the last time Sharif planned an attack, there was zero uptick. SHEPARD: He certainly proved last time that he was a pro at flying beneath our radar. MANN: Yes, but even if he’s planning on not using the gas himself… GIBBS: Sell it to someone who will. MANN: Yep. SHEPARD: Homeland Security certainly loves non-specific threats. MANN: So how are we going to handle this? Our investigations have merged. Who is going to take the lead? SHEPARD: You’ll be working under Agent Gibbs. Your boss and I flipped a coin for it. Is that a problem? MANN: No problem. I’m just… GIBBS: Used to being on top. MANN: In command, yes. But I’ve worked with Agent Gibbs before, and I’m happy to again. SHEPARD: Hmm. (SHEPARD NODS HER HEAD) (DOOR OPENS/ CLOSES)

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY – DAY

MANN: You two have worked together a while, huh? GIBBS: Mm-hmm. MANN: How long? GIBBS: Reason you’re asking? MANN: Just curious. (BEAT) Forget it. (MUSIC OVER ACTION/MANN AND SHEPARD WALK IN HALLWAY)

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY – DAY

GORDON: Major Maguire was here last week. Secured delivery. Shame what happened. TONY: You seem real broken up. GORDON: Hey, I got my own problems. We upsized our operation after Nine Eleven. Things haven’t quite panned out. Lines out the door for Game Box Three, and I got warehouses of this, no one wants, and creditors up the wazoo. ZIVA: Up wazoo? TONY: Good luck with that one. (SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS) TONY: Oh, wait a minute. Give me a second. (INTO PHONE) Hi. ZIVA: He’s got two cell phones, one for each ear. TONY: (INTO PHONE) Yeah. I can take a rain check. (V.O.) Everything all right? (INTO PHONE) All right, I’ll talk to you later. ZIVA: Sounds like you have something up your wazoo. A doctor’s probe, perhaps?

GORDON: Look, I have a business to run. If you have any more questions, you can ask our chief engineer. He’s in here. (DOOR OPENS) GORDON: Dane, tell them what they need to know. Okay? (BEAT) Yeah.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB – DAY

DANE: What do you need to know? TONY: Well, my partner probably needs to know your home phone number. (F/X: ZIVA HITS TONY) (SFX: TONY GRUNTS) TONY: See, if you just let it go, he would have thought I was kidding. ZIVA: I don’t want your number. DANE: What do you want? ZIVA: You got a delivery of BZ gas last week. TONY: We need to confirm shipment details. DANE: Invoice number? TONY: So if chemical weapons are banned, how come you guys are still doing research with them? DANE: Not everyone plays by the same rules as us. We still need to certify that our safety devices will be functional against a rogue attack. Military provides us with the samples, certify our devices. Then we do the testing. Here we go. Four kilograms of BZ concentrate. TONY: Four? According to SYSCOM records, it was fourteen. DANE: We asked for four. That’s what the Major signed over to us. ZIVA: Ten kilograms missing. TONY: (WHISPERS) Is that a lot?

CUT TO:

INT. ABBY'S LAB - DAY

MCGEE: So then the Colonel says to Gibbs, “Funny us running into each other like that.” ABBY: McGee, you are reading way too much into this. MCGEE: Abby, you were not there. You did not see the look on Gibbs’ face. GIBBS: Look at what, McGee? MCGEE: Hi, Boss. I was… I was just… MANN: Talking about us behind our backs? ABBY: Well, we were trying to. (SFX: COMPUTER BEEP TONES) GIBBS: What do you got on Sharif? MANN: Or Maguire? MCGEE: Well, we’ve been digging all day trying to find the connection. ABBY: Um, one possibility? GIBBS: A twenty thousand dollar deposit. MANN: Wired from an offshore bank account two days ago. GIBBS: Is Sharif the source of that wire? ABBY: Well, he didn’t sign his name on it. MCGEE: If we can track the source, it might give us a lead on him. GIBBS: Yeah, do it. ABBY: Oh, wait! There’s more! MCGEE: The Wi-Fi camera that Sharif used, it stream videoed Major Maguire in real time to Sharif’s computer.

ABBY: And we all know that the internet was designed to be a redundant communications protocol. MCGEE: And we were able to use that redundancy to find echoes of the original stream by locating the separated packets as they were routed from…

(MCGEE CONTINUES B.G.) MANN: How long will they go on like this? GIBBS: Until we stop them. MCGEE: …ISP to ISP… MANN: McGee! Bottom line. MCGEE: We’ve got the video Sharif took of Major Maguire before he died. ABBY: First he tried to pick the lock. MCGEE: Then he called for help. About a half hour later, he gets the idea to try and signal using the power box on the wall, which caused the traffic lights on the street to blink. ABBY: Watch what happens when the BZ goes into effect. MANN: Oh, he looks really agitated. MCGEE: The BZ gas causes severe hallucinations. ABBY: He is literally losing his mind. Now we know how an eyeball got in his stomach. MANN: How much? ABBY: This was the result of roughly ten milligrams of exposure. MCGEE: (BEAT) What? GIBBS: We’re missing ten kilograms, McGee. MCGEE: That’s like a million times more.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. NCIS SQUAD ROOM – DAY

TONY: Good news, Boss. Gordon Gear ran a full inventory. ZIVA: The only thing unaccounted for was the BZ gas. GIBBS: Does that mean you found Sharif? TONY: I guess he’s still unaccounted for, too. GIBBS: He’s someplace doing something. Figure out where and find him!

TONY: I’ve got an idea! Campfire! ZIVA: No! TONY: Yes! Campfire is where we all get together and in a free environment, you know, without hugging and everything, we uh… not a big fan of the campfire. MANN: And where’s he going? MCGEE: Same place he always goes to think.

CUT TO:

INT. BASEMENT – DAY

(DOOR OPENS) (KNOCK ON DOOR) MANN: I thought you’d like to know that Sharif made it to the top of every agency’s most wanted list. Homeland Security’s all over it. (BEAT) Where’s your boat? GIBBS: Oh, had to move it to make some room. MANN: Yeah, but… GIBBS: They’re covering their asses. MANN: But where…? GIBBS: It’ll take them days to do anything. MANN: Yeah, well they want a briefing. Chemical weapons are notoriously difficult to deal with. And ten kilograms is a large amount. It could be a land-based attack. GIBBS: Or it’s something else we haven’t thought of yet. MANN: Well, that’s what I’m here for. GIBBS: Is it? MANN: You say that like you were expecting something else. Or is it hoping? GIBBS: Whatcha got in the bag? MANN: Dinner. GIBBS: Why don’t we start with that? MANN: So maybe Sharif is just going to sell the BZ. GIBBS: He’s not. MANN: And you’re so sure of that because? GIBBS: His eyes. MANN: His eyes? GIBBS: He doesn’t want the money. He wants to kill. MANN: Who? Sharif’s sold himself out to the highest bidder his whole life, no matter what side they were on. And what’s changed? GIBBS: People get older. Realize that they want something different. MANN: And you can tell this just by looking into someone’s eyes? GIBBS: Yeah. MANN: Okay. What do you see in my eyes? GIBBS: (LONG BEAT) You want me to kiss you. MANN: So are you going to? GIBBS: Yeah. MANN: When? GIBBS: After we catch Sharif. MANN: That’s probably a good idea. GIBBS: Really? ‘Cause I was hoping you wouldn’t think that-- MANN: No, no, no. It’s a good idea, and I’d better go before I change my mind. Ah, you know, we’re a distraction to your team. We can’t have anything interfering with finding Sharif. GIBBS: Yeah, we’re going to find him. Then what? MANN: Interfere. (SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS) GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs. (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) I know you are aware I have almost ten kilograms of BZ gas in my possession.

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) I wasn’t expecting applause…

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) … but I was hoping for a little bit more.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) What do you want? MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) The United States Government is holding six alleged members of a Chechen separatist group…

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) … in a secret prison in Afghanistan. I want them released within the next twenty-four hours.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Not going to happen. MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) Because the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. (SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) But you misunderstand. We are not negotiating.

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) Either you release those men….

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) ….or I will release more of the BZ gas.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) More? MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) It’s hard to say how many have been exposed.

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) Airborne weaponry is a tricky business.

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) But I am sure the eleven o’clock news will have a pretty good figure by now. (SFX: GIBBS CLICKS ON THE TV) ZNN REPORTER: (ON TV) … hospital. Authorities are not certain what has caused the mystery illness. There are no fatalities as of yet, but at least six people have fallen sick. (SCENE CUT)

ABBY: Poor Gibbs. First he loses his memory, and now he might lose his mind. ZIVA: Sharif is going to lose a lot more than that when Gibbs catches him. (SFX: DOORS SLIDE OPEN) ABBY: Is he going crazy? DUCKY: No, he’s his usual self. Which some people might characterize as unconventional. I didn’t find any trace of BZ gas in either of them. Sharif appears to be bluffing. You’re welcome to… ABBY: Gibbs! I was so worried! (ABBY HUGS GIBBS) GIBBS: I’m okay, Abs. MANN: Yeah, me too. ZIVA: No fatalities at the hospital. The dose was too low. They’re reporting it as food poisoning. But the word is already beginning to leak out. GIBBS: How did Sharif deliver the BZ? (ELEVATOR DINGS/ DOORS OPEN/ CLOSE) ABBY: I can’t tell yet. The pattern of illnesses appears random.

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR – DAY

ZIVA: We’re still trying to find a link between Sharif and the Chechen rebels. GIBBS: You won’t find one. He’s trying to distract us. MANN: From what? GIBBS: I don’t know! MANN: Then what makes you so sure? ABBY: (BEAT/WHISPERS) Never question the gut.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

(ELEVATOR DINGS/ DOORS OPEN/ CLOSE) MCGEE: Oh! GIBBS: Going somewhere, McGee? MCGEE: Actually, looking for you, Boss. I might’ve found a connection between Sharif’s victims. Neighbors reported seeing the same truck outside of two of the houses. MANN: Well, you got a plate? MCGEE: Not enough of one. All I got is a red truck, some kind of logo. GIBBS: Ziva, you and Tony find out if anyone else saw – where the hell is Dinozzo? ZIVA: You tell me. Oh, that’s right. You won’t. GIBBS: Find him! (SHOUTS) Now!

TONY: There’s a medical emergency requiring your assistance, Miss Benoit. Patient at your front door is dying of loneliness. JEANNE: So when I said rain check… TONY: That’s weird. Because I thought you said brain checks. Some kind of breakfast cereal good for your brain. What’s wrong? JEANNE: It doesn’t have anything to do with you. (DOOR OPENS) TONY: That’s not what I asked.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT

(DOOR CLOSES) TONY: If you don’t want to tell me, I can always look at your horoscope or read some team leaves. JEANNE: What is it about “no” that men refuse to understand!? TONY: Is this all men, or just me? JEANNE: I got an email from an old friend. TONY: And this old friend is not good at the no word? JEANNE: No, this friend isn’t! TONY: This is starting to sound like this may have something to do with me. JEANNE: Not everything is about you.

TONY: Okay, then! Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think of me? JEANNE: Beaches. Bette Midler. Nineteen eighty-seven. TONY: Nineteen eighty-eight, actually. But I’m going to give it to you anyway ‘cause you’re kind of cute. And you win the prize. A night with Francois Truffaut. Well, actually probably a couple nights – maybe even a long weekend. We can start with the foreign blows. JEANNE: I love Truffaut. TONY: Just so we’re clear. You know, to make sure there’s no confusion in the future, when we use the word “rain check,” we’re saying “no” now, right? JEANNE: Not no with a capital, more like a lower case no. TONY: Yes, that’s perfectly unclear. You see, this might be why men have trouble understand the feminine of the “no” word thingy. I’m digging myself a hole here. JEANNE: Yeah. TONY: You know, since I’m here, it’s a shame to waste me. I vote for a group bath. (SFX: JEANNE CHUCKLES) TONY: Was that a yes or… JEANNE: It wasn’t a no. TONY: Ah! Very good. (SFX: WATER RUNS B.G.) (MUSIC OVER ACTION/TONY READS EMAILS ON THE COMPUTER) (SFX: CELL PHONE VIBRATES)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Hey. Is this about the mystery illness? (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS) ZIVA: (V.O./FILTERED) I don’t know. You tell…

(SCENE CUT)

ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) …me. TONY: (V.O./FILTERED) I’m telling you…

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) I just got the news flash. Sharif?

(SCENE CUT)

ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Yes. Where are you?

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) Off duty.

(SCENE CUT)

ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) Okay, this is getting old, Tony.

(SCENE CUT)

TONY: (INTO PHONE) This is why I don’t answer your calls.

(SCENE CUT)

ZIVA: (INTO PHONE) McGee found a connection between victims. Their homes were fumigated by the same firm. (SCENE CUT)

SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) The pest control firm didn’t realize that one of their commercial sprayers was missing, until I sent two of my agents to question them. We’ve IDed Sharif as one of their employees. GIBBS: Former employee. SHEPARD: (INTO PHONE) Call you back. MANN: Sharif hasn’t shown for work since the attack. SHEPARD:

SHEPARD: Probably because he’s too busy preparing for his next one. The missing sprayer is truck-mounted. But it could easily be adapted for a small aircraft. (CONT.) I’m having mobile sensors deployed at every Marine and Naval base on the East Coast. MANN: F.A.A. finished grounding all small aircraft? SHEPARD: In the works. GIBBS: Ducky says there’s an antitoxin. MANN: Needs to be delivered to all trauma ones and base hospitals. SHEPARD: In the works. MANN: I hope “in the works” means something different here than it does where I come from. GIBBS: Keep hoping.

SHEPARD: Jethro? Are you okay? GIBBS: Yeah. Fine. (GIBBS WALKS O.S.) SHEPARD: Colonel Mann. MANN: Yes, Director? SHEPARD: He is not fine. MANN: Well, we’re all under a lot of stress. SHEPARD: A word of advice: Agent Gibbs is one of the best agents around. But when it comes to dealing with bureaucracy, it’s not one of his stronger points. MANN: Then your point? SHEPARD: My point is that I almost lost him six months ago, and I don’t want a repeat. MANN: Well, with all due respect, Ma'am, I think Agent Gibbs can take care of himself. I think you know that. SHEPARD: Yes. I do. That will be all.

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

REPORTER ON TV: (V.O.) ...about a possible terrorist attack. There has been no official confirmation, but the FAA continues to ground…

(REPORTER CONTINUES B.G.) ABBY: (OVERLAP) Gibbs! We have news. MCGEE: We were able to back trace the wire transfer to Major Maguire. ABBY: It wasn’t easy. Most offshore accounts use a block cipher as a security protocol. MCGEE: So what we did was we fooled their system by causing it-- GIBBS: You got a location on Sharif? ABBY: Gibbs, the wire transfer did not come from Sharif. MANN: Who did it come from?

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM

MCGEE: So this is the guy Ziva was drooling over. ZIVA: I wasn’t drooling! TONY: Please. I saw you undressing him with your bedroom eyes.

ZIVA: At least I’m not the one asking him if he waxed his eyebrows. TONY: It’s important to appreciate the competition. (ZIVA LAUGHS)

MANN: That’s the way it works for terrorists. DANE: I’m not a terrorist! GIBBS: Well, you better hope you can convince us otherwise.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM

DANE: (FILTERED) All right.

CUT TO:

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

DANE: I diverted the BZ gas to Sharif, not the Major. When I went to cover my tracks… GIBBS: Major Maguire found out. DANE: Yeah. Sharif said he would take care of it. I got worried when the Major disappeared, because I knew the missing BZ would be traced back to me. MANN: So you made it look like Major Maguire sold the gas to Sharif by putting the money in his account. GIBBS: How much did Sharif pay you? DANE: Nothing. I paid him. MANN: What? You just like killing Americans? DANE: We weren’t planning on killing anyone. The plan was to scare people! GIBBS: Hey, it’s working. DANE: You guys don’t get it, do you? Every time there’s a catastrophe, someone cashes in. Katrina, the construction companies cleaned up. The tsunami, traders made a killing on tsunami detection stocks. MANN: And during a chemical scare… DANE: Have you checked the stock market today? My lab paid me in stock options. The phony attack that put six people in the hospital. Oh, that worked ‘cause everybody is running out and buying gas masks now. The stock prices went through the roof. I’ll be a millionaire by tomorrow’s bell. GIBBS: You’re going to be in prison by tomorrow’s bell. MANN: You gave a terrorist deadly nerve gas. DANE: Just wait, all right? It’s not what you think! I built in a safeguard. I denatured the enzyme, which makes it useless for an airborne attack. That’s the only way that I would give him the BZ gas. GIBBS: Sharif knew? DANE: Stealing the bug sprayer was just to scare people. Sharif has the BZ but he can’t even use it. I mean, if you ingest it, it’ll kill you. But yea, last time I checked, bleach and bug spray will do the same thing, and you can buy that anywhere. There is no terrorist attack. GIBBS: Then why are there six people in the hospital right now?

(MUSIC UP AND OUT)

MUSIC IN:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

MCGEE: Boss, local LEOs found the stolen sprayers in an alley. No trace of BZ. (LONG BEAT) (TO TONY) I think maybe Dane was right. TONY: Wrong, Probie. This is Sharif. He wouldn’t go to all the trouble if he didn’t have a plan. And not knowing is driving Boss crazy. MCGEE: Then explain how Sharif is going to spread the BZ if it’s been modified? ZIVA: Maybe it wasn’t modified. MANN: It was. CID’s chemical weapons specialist analyzed the blood of the victims at the hospital and confirmed the BZ’s been modified. It’s harmless unless ingested. ZIVA: Which is basically harmless. GIBBS: It wasn’t harmless for Major Maguire and those six people. TONY: Sharif was in their houses. He could have spiked their O.J. with BZ. MCGEE: Or Sharif figured out a way to modify it back. (SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS) GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Yeah, Gibbs. (BEGIN TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) Why don’t I wait for you to start the trace?

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) I just called to see how you were feeling…

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: (INTO PHONE) … Agent Gibbs.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) Better than those six innocent people you put in the hospital MAMOUN SHARIF: (V.O./FILTERED) I’d stop by to pay my respects, but I’m on my way out of town.

(SCENE CUT)

MAMOUN SHARIF: How about I send you a postcard? I am planning on traveling ….

GIBBS: (INTO PHONE) … the money. It’s payback. You won’t stop until you get it.

(SCENE CUT)

GIBBS: (V.O./FILTERED) So who were they? (END TELEPHONE INTERCUTS)

CUT TO:

INT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY

TONY: So this is all about payback? MANN: Oh, he’s planning an attack. DUCKY: I believe I have a clue as to what that might be.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. AUTOPSY ROOM - DAY

DUCKY: Do you see the slight inflammation of the stratum corneum of his finger tips? MANN: Slight? TONY: Looks like he was grating cheese, forgot the cheese. DUCKY:

DUCKY: Yes, well, most of the damage occurred when Major Maguire attempted to scale the walls of his crypt.(CONT.) But when I was learned that the BZ gas had been modified so it was no longer an airborne threat, I looked for other methods of exposure. MANN: He ingested it. DUCKY: That’s a good guess, but also a wrong one. The answer lies in the Major’s urine. Smell that. TONY: I’d prefer not to. GIBBS: (SNIFFS) Garlic. MANN: Sharif is spiking garlic with BZ toxin? DUCKY: No. The contents of his stomach showed that Major Maguire hadn’t eaten anything, much less garlic. It appears that Sharif may have been testing a topical method of exposure. Like sunscreen or a body oil. If that is the case, then that would explain both the inflammation and the garlic odor byproduct. Of course, all this will require a specialized analysis from Abby to determine that that is indeed the case. I’m fairly certain that…. where’d they go? TONY: I’m guessing Abby’s lab. DUCKY: I know that Gibbs always gets his man, but those two are unusually motivated to find Sharif.

CUT TO:

INT. ABBY'S LAB - DAY

ABBY: DMSO. Or as we professionals call it dimethylsulfoxide. It’s an industrial strength solvent that has very interesting side effects. MANN: It carries whatever it comes in contact with directly into the blood stream.

ABBY: Wow. Gold star for the Colonel. So it looks like Sharif has mixed BZ with DMSO, which means that all anyone has to do is come in contact with a coated surface to be exposed. The more BZ is in the mix, the faster it’ll take effect. Anywhere from ten minutes to thirty-six hours. GIBBS: How many people? ABBY: The bad news, about a hundred thousand. MANN: Oh, well the good news better be really good. ABBY: Well, Sharif is going to have some serious distribution problems. If he were to go door-to-door – right? There’s only so many people he can get to before we get him. He could do more damage with a shotgun.

TONY: The guy’s been a busy little banker. ZIVA: He spent the last three days going from bank to bank. GIBBS: Depositing or withdrawing? MCGEE: Withdrawing. And all of it in singles. ZIVA: Twelve transactions at twelve different banks. MCGEE: Which is why he was flagged. TONY: Anti-laundering law used to say any transaction over ten grand needs to be reported. MANN: But those are nine thousand each. MCGEE: Well, Sharif must have known about the limit. TONY: What he didn’t know is that the Fed lowered the threshold to five grand last month. GIBBS: Since when do you know so much about anti-laundering laws, Dinozzo? TONY: Well, you should read your memos more often then, Boss. GIBBS: Or not. MANN: (V.O.) How much? ZIVA: One hundred and eight thousand. MCGEE: A lot of singles. ZIVA: About one hundred and eight thousand. TONY: I have an entirely inappropriate joke about strip clubs, but I’m going to save it for a less terrifying moment. MANN: He’s putting the BZ on the money. GIBBS: And the way it changes hands within thirty-six hours… MANN: A lot more than a hundred thousand will be at risk. GIBBS: Dinozzo. TONY: I’ll check casinos and racetracks. Best places to get rid of large amounts of cash quick. MANN: Agent McGee, airports. Train stations. Wherever Sharif can hit large groups of people. MCGEE: On it, Boss. Colonel. GIBBS: Ziva, coordinate roadblocks with local LEOs.

MANN: We’re going to have to issue a warning. It’s going to wreak havoc on the economy. GIBBS: The economy is not what I’m worried about. MANN: He could be anywhere. We’re not going to find him now. GIBBS: You’re reneging on our deal? MANN: Huh. GIBBS: McGee! MCGEE: Yeah, Boss? GIBBS: What is this? MCGEE: (BEAT) Well, it looks like the cash. GIBBS: I can see that, McGee! No, that! Right there. What is that? That! MCGEE: Let me see this. Looks like a GBP. It’s a GameBox Portable. TONY: Pest guy said Sharif was addicted to it. GIBBS: Is that a video game? MCGEE: Actually, it’s a wireless handheld game console. GIBBS: Wireless? Does that mean it’s traceable? MCGEE: If he’s playing it, and we knew his online gaming ID. Yeah. MANN: We do.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

INT. ABBY'S LAB - DAY

GIBBS: Abs? ABBY: Tony already called him on it. Looks like while Sharif was waiting for Major Maguire to pop his cork, he spent four hours at the bowling alley playing an online video game called Killer Kudsuckers. MCGEE: You got his handle? ABBY: Almost there. Oh, look. It’s “Agent Gibbs.” MCGEE: Accessing the multi-player registry. He’s online. He’s actually been online over an hour. ABBY: He’s not in any rush. MANN: No, he’s waiting for something. A plane or… MCGEE: A train! He’s at the Amtrac station.

MUSICAL BRIDGE TO:

EXT. STREET – DAY

(SFX: CARS SCREECH TO A SOTP) MCGEE: He’s still online. MANN: National Guard is sending in a response team with antidote. TONY: If someone wants to suggesting waiting for him outside I won’t complain.

(INTERCUT FLASHBACK SCENE) (SFX:GUNSHOT) MCGEE: (ECHO SFX) Boss, are you all right? GIBBS: (SHOUTS) NCIS! Get down on the ground, Sharif! (SFX: VOICES SHOUT B.G.) (MUSIC OVER ACTION/MAMOUN SHARIF RUNS/ THROWS MONEY INTO THE AIR) GIBBS: Get the money! MCGEE: What about Sharif!? GIBBS: I got him! I got him! MCGEE: Don’t touch the money! MANN: (OVERLAP) The money’s contaminated! Put it down! MCGEE: The money’s been poisoned! Put it down.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY – DAY

(MUSIC OVER ACTION/MAMOUN SHARIF RUNS INTO THE MEN’S ROOM/ GIBBS FOLLOWS/ STUMBLING) GIBBS: It’s over, Sharif. (SFX: GIBBS STUMBLES AROUND THE BATHROOM) MAMOUN SHARIF: Is something wrong, Agent Gibbs? (SFX: GIBBS STUMBLES/FALLS) GIBBS: What did you do? MAMOUN SHARIF: Those lovely hand tools. Undetectable until it reaches your bloodstream. A little early, but I am not complaining. (SFX: GIBBS STRUGGLES WITH MAMOUN SHARIF) MAMOUN SHARIF: Their names were Cassandra, Dmitri, and Bashira. They were my family. Until one of your country’s smart bombs was not too smart. Do you know what it’s like to lose your family? They say everyone you kill, you just make ten more like me! But I think today, just one will be enough. (SFX: GUNFIRE) TONY: Hang on, Boss. National Guard’s here. They’ve got the antidote. MCGEE: You’re going to be all right, Boss.

MUSICAL DISSOLVE TO:

INT. MANN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT

REPORTER: (ON TV) … which happened today. Station officials have said certain areas will remain closed for further… (SFX: CELL PHONE RINGS) MANN: (INTO PHONE) Hello? I thought you were still recuperating. Oh, I… yeah, I’ll buzz you in. GIBBS: You know, you don’t need to. Your door was unlocked. MANN: Yeah, but uh… my doorbell works. GIBBS: Well, then I guess we’re even. MANN: So uh… you feeling better? GIBBS: Yeah, I’m … sure feeling better than Dinozzo. He was about ready to kill himself when he had to burn that hundred grand. (SFX: MANN CHUCKLES) GIBBS: I came by to say thank you. MANN: You’re welcome. (MUSIC OVER ACTION/GIBBS AND MANN KISS) MANN: Is that all you came for? GIBBS: Well, it’s a start. MANN: (BREATHLESSLY) Okay, before we do this, I just need to know one thing. How’d you get that damn boat out of your basement? (MUSIC UP AND OUT)